Weekend Edition Saturday

Schedule

88.5-1

Saturday

8:00 am

From civil wars in Bosnia and El Salvador, to hospital rooms, police stations, and America's backyards, National Public Radio's Peabody Award-winning correspondent Scott Simon brings a well-traveled perspective to his role as host of Weekend Edition Saturday.

Saturday, June 1, 2013

ESPN sports commentator Howard Bryant talks to Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon about the week's top sports stories, including the NBA conference finals, the NHL, and Serena Williams' dominance at the French Open tennis championships.

In the 1980s Morton Downey Jr. practically invented the world of trashy political talk shows. A new documentary, Evocateur: The Morton Downey Jr. Movie, dissects his rise, his fall and his influence. Weekend Edition Saturday host Scott Simon talks with one of the film's directors, Seth Kramer, about Morton Downey Jr.'s meteoric rise and enduring legacy.

When Raymond Sokolov began writing about food, it was considered a specialty portfolio. Today, celebrity chefs abound in the U.S. and Britain, with cookbooks, TV shows and groupies. Host Scott Simon speaks with Sokolov about his new book, Steal the Menu: A Memoir of Forty Years in Food.

The French Parliament is at odds over a measure that would allow French universities to teach in English. Those in favor say it will help attract more international students, while opponents fear it will marginalize the French language.

Hundreds of volunteers have come to Moore, Okla., to help the community following Monday's tornado. Some are helping clear debris, others bringing out water and supplies to people whose homes were damaged or destroyed, and whose lives are in disarray. One group of volunteers is cooking more than 10,000 meals a day.

In our latest installment of the StoryCorps Military Voices Initiative, we hear from Lance Cpl. Travis Williams. In 2005, while serving in Iraq, Williams lost his 12-man squad lost his squad to an IED. He was the only survivor.

President Obama banned enhanced interrogation techniques, but he's largely avoided discussing whether the tactic ever produced valuable information. He might not be able to avoid it forever: The CIA is preparing an official response to a report that concluded the techniques were worthless.

As residents of Moore work toward recovery after Monday's deadly tornado, supplies are pouring in from across the country. Volunteers and relief organizations are sifting through everything from diapers to food and teddy bears. But the groups say what's really needed is the flexibility of money.

The contentious little creatures were allowed in the Chelsea Flower Show for the first time in its 100-year history. Their presence has been hotly debated, but celebrity-decorated gnomes will be sold for a cause.

With rising economic power, a new generation of Indian women is giving matchmaking a modern twist. While most Indian marriages are still arranged, single women are increasingly making their own choices, meeting potential mates via marriage-focused websites and companies that organize group outings.

Nearly 18 million tourists descend on our nation's capitol every year, and most of them are keen to spend time at the many free museums in Washington, D.C. But only about 100,000 people take the trip across the river to a museum of a different sort: the Pentagon. The Pentagon's exhaustive historical displays offer fresh insight into the range of the Defense Department's activities.

When you give to WAMU, your tax-deductible membership gift helps make possible award-winning programs such as Morning Edition, All Things Considered, The Diane Rehm Show, The Kojo Nnamdi Show, and other favorites.